Sheet conveying rig



ir Nov. 3, 193,1,

'Hy E. EDWARDS v'SHEETCONVEYING RIG v2' Sheets-Sheet 1 'original Filed'y N ov. 27, 1928 ATTO RN EYS Nov;A 3,1931.

H. E.- EDWARDS SHEET CNVEYING RIGl v 2` SheetS-Sheet 2 original Filed Nov. 27. 192s ATTORNEYS cnw.

Y' Y Patented ov.' 3,1931

v^nimm; nfnnwnnns, Yor

n EDWARDS, or irrnfi'is,y oHIo nrbnsonro, AssrGNon or ONE-HALF To `anu/'ARD B. c

, igmalfkamniation medi-maenner 27, 192s, serialv -No.f,322,195. Divided and this appncatipn med YNvenmer lai', i928.

n rIlhisy invention relatestofsheet conveyors for'pickingup andconv'eying stacks ofrolled sheets, 'and aims tov provide an improved rig adapted .tofbe used with. the conveyor shown anddescribed inimyco-pending.,appli`cat1on, Serial No.- 322,195, filed November 27, 1928, v 'of which thisapplicfation is adivision. Also,

this application is `rafcontinuation in part of my (2o-pending application, Serial' No. aoogiazled Juneau,1927. a f

-i'Inthe accompanying drawings,` v Fig.h1 is a topL plan view Showing lectedembodiment ofthe rig; y

FigQ 2 is a rear end elevationopf'the rlg shown in Fig. 1; U

Fig. 3 isa 'sectionalviewtaken on theline 3430i Fig. l; and.' y l F Figi/1 isa sectional Iview taken on .the line Hof-Fig. 1.

'20 i Referring particularlytothe draw-ings, the

c preferred embodiment of the rig, thereshown, comprises jaw or hook members carried by Y Yan elongatedframe 111', Vconveniently made of spaced channel beams adapted to be suspen'ded from a hoistl (notshown) The conc struction and arrangement'is such that the jawsor hooksmay be power-operated to-engage or disengage the side edges of a Stack of sheets; f j 1n the present example, the jaws or hooks are shownpasv comprising elongated, L-shaped structural members 12 conveniently made by cutting oli one ange ofa wide channel beam and utilizing the other flange-to underlie the side edges of a stack vof sheets;y These jaws are preferably secured near their ends to vertical arms 1,13 eachhaving ahorizontal rack 14;L slidably mounted in 'guides 15 ig. 4) on f the frame. The racks are shown as being arranged' in pairs and lie,v sideby side'y in their respective guides, the teeth beingy provided on their 4upper edges. n n To operate the jaws, a pair of shaftsl are journaled'in the rarmeon opposite sides and have pinions 17 meshing vwith the* respective racks, vthe arrangement being such that the 'racks' *ofv eachz pair are.vv moved -infopposite directions.,vr y f VIn .order that the pinionshaftsmay be operated 4bypower through self-locking reducserial Nm 322,196.

tion gearing, each-shaftis shown as having a worm wheel 18 near one end, the two wheels being spaced anda single wormA 19 meshes with and drives both of them. Herein, the worm and wheels are enclosed ina housing 20 vand thel worm shaft 21 proj ectsabove the casing. This shaft is shown as having a worm wheel 22 meshing with a worm 23. on a vjoint 24 of a universal driving'shait A(not shown).

To relieve the horizontal racks 14 and their i guides of the bending strains exertedv by a the'seload of sheets, the upper. end of each arm 13 has a cable 25 connected to it and extending upwardly over a sheave 26, the other rend being woundona tapered drum 27 fast on that shaft 16` at the opposite side of the frame. The arrangement is such that/the cables are kepttautby thetapered drums as the racks are extended or retracted. The taper of the drums permits the cables to be paid out faster asthe anglebetween them and the rack decreases. if' the* cables should hang vertically, on nearly4 vertical, horizontal movement of the .racks would require little or no y tightening or slackening oi' the cables. Consequently, as the angularity ofthe cables with respect to the horizontal increases they are paid out less-by virtue of being wound on the smaller parts of the drums.

-While thesheet handling rig herein shown and described is especially useful in conjunction with a vehicle -or tractor to load sheets onrailway cars, as described in my aforesaid co-pending application, Serial No. 322,195, led' Nov. 27, 1928, it is to bedistinctly understood that it may be employed advantageously with any suitable type of conveyor or crane having provision for hoisting the rig. f

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the rigy maybe made very largely of standard structural steel parts ;l` that the o erating mechanism for the jaws or sheet hoo s is verysimple vand easy'to apply; and that the wholething may be manufactured ver cheaply. Moreover, 'a very light rig of this kcharacter has a capacity of several tons of sheets, thereby eliminating unnecessary dead load onthe carrier, anda resulting waste of strictcd tothe particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described. Moreover, it is Vnot .indispensablefthat all the'features of the invention be used 'conjointly, since they may be employed advantageously in4 various com.- binationsand s'ub-eom'binations. A ..1 TWhat I claim isr'-v l ,h Y l. A sheet conveying, rig comprising; 1n

combination, a: Carrier beam; Asheetengaging members suspended from the bean'i' andv ars ranged to open and 'close transversely `of the` beam; meansV to open and closel the' sheet and means to pay out and take up. the cables as -the. fsheet engagingv members VAare. opened andlolosedgg.; .n f t 2. A sheetzpconveymg rig comprising, in'.-

. G Ombination, 'a' carrier beam g. sheet engaging membersy suspended. from theibeam andi ar-V rangedtoopen. and. close. transversely of the' beam.; means to open. andfclose the sheet engaging fmembersg.. andl cables .operatively connected to saidmeans totransfer a por.- tion of the loaden vthe sheet engaging membersdireotlyto .the beamte relieve the oper.n ating.mechanismv ofbending strains..

- .Avvsheet .conveying rigfcomprising, in

Y combination, Aa carrier beamadaptedfto be connected toV a hoist; a. pair of sheet engaging members carried by the beam.; racks lon the sheet engaging members mounted transversely ofthe beam gearing (3o-operating with. the racks to open and close theshe'etv engaging members; and cables operatively connected .to .thexsheet engaging members and varranged to relieve the racks of `bending. or strains. A Y .5; A sheet conyeying rig of the olassdeL scribed; comprising, 1n combination, anelon- .gated supporting frame a-pair of sheet v engaging Ahookmembers depending from the frame at opposite sides; racks on the hook members 'slidably .connected to .the frame; .guide members for theraclrs; spur gearsco- Voperating With the racks to open and close the hook members; a pair of shafts carrying said spur Vgears ;W`orm Wheels on said shafts; and a singlev Worm meshing with both of said i Worm'wheels'. f

members carried by the beam; racks con.-

v'nected'tothe hooks-and arranged transversely of the beam;-longitudinal yshafts mounted .on the, beam.: spur. gears carriedbythe shafts engaging .members `Cables :eonnectedfgto sai-df` members toV sustain a portionoft ie; load;

:6. A. sheetl conveyor rig Comprising, inl combination, a carrier beam; spaced hook Lesage@ .Y

and meshing vvith the racks; Worm-*Wheels on the shafts; and a single drivingvvorm meshing with bothof the Wheels to turn the Yshafts and draw the hooks 'ofeach pair together.. I

'.sheet earri'er comprisinigy'in combi- -b-avi-ng opposite upstanding bearings at opposite sides. of the beam and a transverse slide bearing `below the beam; pairs 'of racks mounted inthe s lide.bearing :hooks depend- Iing from.v opposite ends of the racks; shafts vmounted in the alined, upstandng bearings;

gears mounted. on. the shafts and meshing with. the racks; a geargcasing carriedtbyl one end of the-beam; Worinvvheels mounted on the endsof the shafts and withinthe casing; a Worm located between the Wheels and meshingthe'revvith; and a shaft adapted to be..

the beam; sheet hooks depending from oppor,-

site ends. of the racks to.l engage the lo-ad; rotatable shafts mounted at each; side? ofthe beam.; gears secured to the shafts and ,meshvon.

VVnation,A abarrier beam formedof a pair of spaced, elongatedV channel l' irons; spacing 'blocks secured between the angle irons` and ing with the racks; means-for rotatingthe.

' shafts tofosimultaneously .draw .the hooksY together or force the same apart.; sheaves mounted on the'beamgtazpered dramsn-rounted onthe shafts; cablesfpassifngjfronr the drums-2 over thelsheaves and connected to; the ppposite hoo-k ends of the racksto-y sustain the Oa.: Y v

9.v A sheet vearrier comprising.; `in combination, a carrier beam formed of spaced? members; spacing. blocks securedfbetween the members and having bearings; racks mounted to slide in one of the bearingstransverse# ly of the beam; a. pair of depending, substan tigallyf Lfshaped depending hooks connected te' thtends ofthe racks; longitudinal. shafts rotatably mounted inthev other bearings and bavinggears in Ymesh With the racks; means for rotating the shafts, in opposite directions to simultaneously -.foree the hooks together or apart; sheaves mounted on the` spacing blocks 'a'ibvove the racks; Winding drums mounted on the shafts inv line "Withv the sheaves ;and.cabies having one end' seeured to and Wound around said drums and passing over the sheaves with their other ends secured to the oppositev hook endso'f. the racks to suse` tain the'y load4 in all positions ofthe racks;

/ 10. A sheet conveyingrig compri-sing, in combination, a carrier beam; L-shaped sheet engagingplates suspendedfrom the. beam; horizontal racks guided to slide with respect .to-the beam; parallel Shafts having; pinions meshing ,with the ,ragf'zlrsV Worm and vvheel gearing for the shafts and a power deliver- Y* ing shaft to operate the gearing whereby to yopen and closek the sheet engaging plates.

' v1l. In a sheet handling rig *of the class deframe;- pars of sheet engaging, hook mem ers havscribed, ai Vlongitudinal supportin ingiarmsA slidablyconnected t and projecting ranged to openfand close thehooks; self-l0ok A ing gearingconnectedto said arms; load sus-v from opposite sides of the frame and artaining elements connectedtothe outer ends of said arms and extending above the frame;

and means actuated by said gearing automatieally to keep the load sustaining elements tant as the sheet engaging hook members are opened andclosed.

In testimony, that I claimthevforegoing as my own, I have hereto afixed my signature.

`Y HARRY E. EDWARDS. 

